Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

Two Eagles....in the nest.....with eggs just about to hatch. I believe it is a live video. I noticed that there are an awful lot of folks watching. This is in NE Iowa near the town of Decorah. NE Iowa is pretty much dairy country....hilly and lots of forest and woods with cliffs and rock formations. Not too far from the Mississippi River. Have a look while it is is still daylight.

I rushed to get this posted for all our wildlife lovers. Hope I'm correct on my facts.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money........Margaret Thatcher

Re: Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

Well Kerry, just keep checking the link to the Decorah Eagles. This spring was second time around for me. The video streamed from that camera focused on the nest is one of the most viewed feeds in Internet history......and the viewers are all over the world. These two parents had three little ones last year and they are out on their own since last summer. One of those from last year's batch has a transponder attached to her so the preserve staff can keep track of her. She logged over 700 miles in her first summer then returned to NE Iowa and has been hanging around the area ever since. She'll be ready to mate in a couple more years. It's strange to me that she has come back to her "home" area but we are told that it is extremely unlikely that she will ever return to the nest where she hatched to "visit" mom and pop.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money........Margaret Thatcher

Re: Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

WOW! The eaglets are really big now. Won't be too long before they will begin branching....that is experimental flights to nearby branches. Mom and dad are kept busy feeding them now. The two adults are now leaving the nest at night and probably perching on nearby branches.

The bald eagle, D-1 from last years little family, has headed out on a late spring trip. As of 5/17/2012 she had flown some 450 miles north from the Decorah, Iowa area nest, well into Canada. A gal with a love for adventure. Gotta love her. I hope the battery on her transponder doesn't wear out before she finally makes her choice of where to settle, find a mate and nest. But that is at least 3 to 4 yrs. away so I really doubt if the battery will last that long. I believe there is a timer on the device that turns on just for short periods at certain times of the day.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money........Margaret Thatcher

Re: Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

Another nesting period about concluded. All three of the new Bald Eagles in the Decorah, Iowa nest have fledged....that is taken flight....and the preserve people have announced that the Eagle Cam will be shut off on June 30th. You might want to go to the site and read the full comment and info. New equipment is due to be installed this summer....new cameras and computers, etc......and in the fall it will be turned back on and the feed on-line will be re-established. It's my understanding that the millions of viewers have been quite generous with their contributions so new equipment is possible. In addition to repairs to the Eagle nest.....nesting boxes are being prepared for a couple of other species of birds.

We were wandering around the Hobby Lobby store the other day and spotted this fellow.....(half-price)....who now has a new home on our fireplace mantle in our living room:

Sorry about the bad lighting. It was a grab shot with flash. We've since added a couple of tiny U.S. flags....one on each side....to make an extra statement. Fairly well done little statue considering the very reasonable price. About 15" high.

And last....but definitely not least.....the story of D-1....the female Bald Eagle from last year's clutch of 3 eggs. She is the one with the transponder attached to her and WOW has she ever gone traveling this summer:

D1 Update: 06/12/12 D1 keeps on going - she has almost reached Hudson Bay! Since leaving Iowa on 5/3, D1 has traveled an amazing 1275 miles (846 straight-line miles). For more details, go to http://www.raptorresource.org/maps/latest.php

Can you believe THAT? This one bird has traveled that far.....to go so many miles north to Hudson Bay? I wonder how far south she will return in the fall. Will she come back to the NE Iowa....Decorah area? Time will tell if the transponder keeps working.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money........Margaret Thatcher

*The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

*The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

The article says that Alliant Energy (the power company there) voluntarily installed some extra insulators on several of the poles in the area to try to prevent a recurrence. That's commendable -- many power companies wouldn't have lifted a finger.

Re: Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

SomeJoe7777 wrote:The article says that Alliant Energy (the power company there) voluntarily installed some extra insulators on several of the poles in the area to try to prevent a recurrence. That's commendable -- many power companies wouldn't have lifted a finger.

*The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Iowa Bald Eagles ready to hatch their eggs. LIVE!

That power company was fully aware that their lines were running through a preserve. It might haven take some preventative action earlier. But I guess later is better tha never. Hopefully nothing happens to mom or pop in the interim between families.

Earth's terminal disease ------humanity. That's still my opinion and I doubt that it ever changes.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money........Margaret Thatcher